effectively stifling her protests. “Maybe we’re not the traditional love match, but we can still go into this as friends. And totally committed to making this marriage work. I don’t want anyone thinking anything else. The ring will solidify our position.”
He sounded so loverlike one moment and businesslike and coldly calculating the next that a shiver of apprehension rippled down her spine to dissipate like the morning dew at his next softly spoken words.
“Besides, I don’t think any bride should miss out on the old traditions. Especially not one as lovely as you.”
Cassie swallowed her nostalgia. A diamond ring didn’t have to mean love, she told herself. It was just a stone. It could signify friendship as well as love; or commitment to making something work. Why not relax and enjoy it?
She curtsied.
“Thank you, kind sir. I would be pleased to accept your ring.”
It began as a fun evening which came as a surprise to Cassie. She hadn’t expected that someone like Jefferson Haddon would be able to unbend so easily. They laughed and joked about the strange customs of marriage as they visited Jeff’s favorite jeweler but neither could agree on just what type of ring Cassie should wear.
“I work with kids, Jeff. I don’t want some big, gaudy showpiece. Something small and practical will be just fine.”
“This isn’t overly large.” He held up an opal close to the size of a golf ball with glittering diamonds surrounding it.
“It’s both ostentatious and pretentious. Besides that, it’s ugly.”
He frowned at her. “All right. You pick one.”
“This is lovely.” Cassie chose a small diamond perched on a thin band of gold.
“Hah! I can’t even see where the diamond is-if there is one. How about this?” He held up a dinner ring that nearly blinded her.
“I don’t like clusters,” she told him, grimacing. The thing would take arm supports just to carry it around.
“And this?” It was a rock the size of a cherry.
She shook her head in dismay. “Jeff, that thing would cost a fortune to buy let alone insure.” She glanced at the display cases once more. “I do like this.” She fingered the tiny sparkling stones imbedded in the thin gold band.
He snorted with disapproval.
“So do I, for two kids in high school maybe.”
She watched as Jeff buttoned up his coat. Then, thanking the jeweler for his assistance, he ushered her out the door without a word. Cassie found herself being led toward a dark and rather intimate-looking restaurant moments later.
“I thought we were supposed to go shopping,” she protested, casting worried glances at his annoyed face. “Are you giving up on our marriage already?” It was supposed to be teasing, but Cassie held her breath until he answered.
“We’ll discuss this over dinner” was all he replied in an exasperated tone.
She watched speechless as the mattre d’ greeted him by name.
“Mr. Haddon! Good evening, sir. I didn’t realize we had a reservation for you tonight,” he added nervously.
Jeff smiled that broad grin that made him look like a mischievous boy and laughed.
“Your memory’s not slipping, George. You don’t. Is there anything available?” Cassie watched him slip the man a twenty dollar bill.
“We’re very busy, sir. I’ll just check.” It took George less than three minutes to return smiling. “We have a small table in the corner, Mr. Haddon. Right by the fireplace. Will that suit?”
Apparently it did as Cassie found herself being seated mere seconds later.
“Cassie,” Jeff said, “George here is a good friend of mine.” He slipped his hand on top of hers and squeezed gently. “George, this is Miss Newton, my flancée.”
The older man beamed down at them both.
“My congratulations, Mr. Haddon. That’s wonderful news!” His voice dropped. “Miss McNaughton would have been so pleased.”
Cassie watched the smile tug at Jefferson’s wide mobile mouth.
“Yes,” he drawled. “Aunt Judith would be very happy.”
When they were alone, Cassie leaned forward.
“I’m really not dressed for such an expensive restaurant, Jeff. And I’m not very hungry, either.” She heard the whine in her own voice and endeavored to get rid of it. “ Why are we here?”
Brisk and to the point, that was better.
He leaned back in his chair, smiling benevolently at her across the candlelight. A waiter arrived with champagne in a silver bucket, forestalling any further conversation.
Jeff picked up the glass and held it aloft.
“A toast to us, Cassandra.”
She frowned at him and he laughed.
“Don’t worry,” he told her. “It’s nonalcoholic. I guess that’s another detail you should know. I don’t drink. Ever.”
His voice was cool, almost hard and Cassie wondered if she should ask why. The dark look on his face was not encouraging, however, and she decided discretion was the better part of valor. Slowly she picked up the slim, fluted crystal and tinkled it against his.
“What are we toasting to?” she murmured.
“To us and the solutions we’re going to find to our disagreements. All of them.”
As she sipped the bubbly concoction, Cassie looked around curiously. The restaurant glowed warmly in the flickering light cast off smoothly polished oak walls. It was a gracefully elegant room with brass fixtures, potted flowers and tall willowy plants strategically placed here and there to provide privacy for its diners. The sound of softly soothing classical guitar played in the background as the tinkle of good china, silver and crystal rang out occasionally.
“I’m having a steak,” Jeff declared, laying down the huge menu. “What would you like?”
“I’ve heard about this place,” Cassie mused, staring at the preponderance of items listed. “A friend of mine said the veal is excellent. I’ll try that.”
Somehow, Cassie felt Jefferson Haddon wouldn’t understand that her friend Moira had only been able to enjoy the veal on her twenty-fifth anniversary because her children had surprised their parents. He probably had no idea that not everyone frequented Vicenzo’s on the spur of the moment.
The waiter bustled away to return seconds later with their soup, a delicious mushroom blend that teased and tantalized her tongue.
“I don’t recognize all of these greens,” Cassie admitted when her salad arrived. “But the dressing is
